[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 29 (Monday, February 13, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8228-8230]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-3466]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. CP95-37-000]
Columbia Gas Transmission Corp.; Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Panda-Brandywine Project and
Request for Comments on Environmental Issues
February 7, 1995.
The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the
Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss environmental impacts of the construction and operation
associated with the jurisdictional facilities proposed in the Panda-
Brandywine [[Page 8229]] Project.\1\ This EA will be used by the
Commission in its decision-making process to determine whether an
environmental impact statement is required and whether or not to
approve the project.
\1\Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation's application was filed
with the Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act.
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Summary of the Proposed Project
Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation (Columbia) wants Commission
authorization to construct and operate 6.3 miles of pipeline to
transport up to 24,240 dekatherms of natural gas per day to Panda-
Brandywine L.P. (Panda) for its Brandywine, Maryland cogeneration
plant. Columbia's facilities would consist of:
--4.1 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop on Line WB in Hardy
County, West Virginia;
--1.6 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline (designated as Line WB-5) that
would replace approximately 1.5 miles of 26-inch-diameter pipeline in
three sections (designated as Line WB) in Braxton County, West
Virginia; and
--0.6 mile of 36-inch-diameter pipeline loop on Line SB-5 in Clay
County, West Virginia.
In addition, a nonjurisdictional tap, measurement and regulation
facilities, and about 0.5 mile of 20-inch-diameter nonjurdisdictional
pipeline would be constructed by Washington Gas Light Company (WGL) in
Prince George's County, Maryland, to supply gas to Panda's cogeneration
plant.
The locations of the project facilities are shown in appendix
1.2\2\
\2\The appendices referenced in this notice are not being
printed in the Federal Register. Copies are available from the
Commission's Public References and Files Maintenance Branch, Room
3104, at 941 North Capitol Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, or
call (202) 208-1371. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those
receiving this notice in the mail.
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Land Requirements for Construction
The proposed replacement pipeline and loops would be built within
or adjacent to existing pipeline rights-of-way (ROW). The construction
ROW would typically be 75 feet wide consisting of a 50-foot-wide
permanent ROW and a 25-foot-wide temporary ROW. The construction ROW
would overlap existing ROW by about 25 feet. Generally, the old
replaced pipeline would be removed except in specific areas such as
some road/railroad crossings identified by Columbia. Following
construction, the disturbed area would be restored and the 25 feet of
temporary ROW and additional workspaces would be allowed to revert to
their former land use.
The EA Process
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the
Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could
result from an action whenever it considers the issuance of a
Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us
to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals.
We call this ``scoping''. The main goal of the scoping process is to
focus the analysis in the EA on the important issues. By this Notice of
Intent, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of the
issues it will address in the EA. All comments received are taken into
account during the preparation of the EA. State and local government
representatives are encouraged to notify their constituents of this
proposed action and encourage them to comment on their areas of
concern.
The EA will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the
construction and operation of the proposed project under these general
headings:
Geology and soils
Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands
Land use
Cultural resources
Vegetation and wildlife
Endangered and threatened species
hazardous waste
We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed project
or portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen
or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
Our independent analysis of the issues will be in the EA. Depending
on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA may be
published and mailed to Federal, State, and local agencies, public
interest groups, interested individuals, affected landowners,
newspapers, libraries, and the Commission's official service list for
this proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA
is published. We will consider all comments on the EA before we
recommend that the Commission approve or not approve the project.
Currently Identified Environmental Issues
We have already identified several issues that we think deserve
attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and
the environmental information provided by Columbia. Keep in mind that
this is a preliminary list; the list of issues will be added to,
subtracted from, or changed based on your comments and our own
analysis. Issues are:
The proposed project would cross two perennial streams,
three intermittent streams, and eight nonforested wetlands.
Access roads would cross the two perennial streams at five
locations and intermittent streams at seven locations.
There are three private wells within 50 feet of the
proposed construction ROW.
There are six residences within 50 feet of the proposed
ROW.
Also, we have made a preliminary decision to not address the
impacts of the nonjurdictional facilities. We will briefly describe
their location and status in the EA.
Public Participation
You can make a difference by sending a letter addressing your
specific comments or concerns about the project. You should focus on
the potential environmental effects of the proposal, alternatives to
the proposal (including alternative routes), and measures to avoid or
lessen environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the more
useful they will be. Please follow the instructions below to ensure
that your comments are received and properly recorded:
Address your letter to: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol St., N.E., Washington,
D.C. 20426;
Reference Docket No. CP95-37-000;
Send a copy of your letter to: Mr. John Wisniewski, EA
Project Manager, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North
Capitol St., N.E., Room 7312, Washington, D.C. 20426; and
Mail your comments so that they will be received in
Washington, D.C. on or before March 10, 1995.
If you wish to receive a copy of the EA, you should request one
from Mr. Wisniewski at the above address.
Becoming an Intervenor
In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want
to become an official party to the proceeding or become an
``intervenor''. Among other things, intervenors have the right to
receive copies of case-related Commission documents and filings by
other intervenors. Likewise, each intervenor must provide copies of its
filings to all other parties. If you want to become an intervenor you
must file a Motion to Intervene according to Rule 214 of the
Commission's Rules of [[Page 8230]] Practice and Procedure (18 CFR
385.214) attached as appendix 2.
The date for filing timely motions to intervene in this proceeding
has passed. Therefore, parties now seeking to file late interventions
must show good cause, as required by Sec. 385.214(b)(3), why this time
limitation should be waived. Environmental issues have been viewed as
good cause for late intervention. You do not need intervenor status to
have your scoping comments considered.
Additional information about the proposed project is available from
Mr. John Wisniewski, EA Project Manager, at (202) 208-1073.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-3466 Filed 2-10-95; 845 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
